Human
The humans of the Southern Kingdoms are commonplace, mostly being found in the central region of Palasia, but spreading to the four corners of the land as humans are so well known to do. Humans are the most versatile and adaptable of the races of the Southern Kingdoms, and as such they have many sub-races within them, and they also have some of the highest capacities for both good and evil of any race. Biology Nothing to see here, humans of the Southern Kingdoms are in most ways biologically identical to the humans of Earth. Ancestry According to legend, the Gods Quy and Muon, Father Sun and Mother Moon, saw the chaos of the world in it's early stages. Ravaged by magic storms and raving demons, they indulged in celestial love and breathed life together into a new race that was to inherit the planet, this being humanity. 12 humans were created, who went on to populate the land. The validity of this legend is often argued, passed down throughout the years through hearsay and myth, and as such nobody can really say. The Sun Elves, who view themselves as descendants and heirs of Quy, deny the idea that mankind were intended to rule the world. Indeed, that idea has become dangerous in many ways and encouraged a common racist attitude among humans who believe themselves to be superior to other races. High King Palas, rumoured to have been the strongest and perhaps even the first human, became High King and founder of Palasia, the human empire that has been arguably the strongest world power in the Southern Kingdoms since it's inception long before living memory. Many legends tell of the burial ground of Palas, and prophesy that a great hero will one day journey to the burial ground of Palas. and take up the mantle of High Monarch, and in some more modern interpretations the idea of taking over the world in the name of humanity is often attached to this myth (although most scholars identify this part as politically motivated propaganda and inaccurate to the original myth). The most commonly held belief is that actually the burial ground of Palas is located underneath the High Castle of Palasia and that new High Monarchs travel down there as part of a set of initiation rites, though they are sworn to secrecy on this. The 6 Demon Lords were all human prior to their infernal transformations. Told in legend to be 6 of the 12 original humans, the 6 Demon Lords chose to make pacts with infernal forces to grant themselves power. This, unfortunately, lead to them and all of their ancestors being tainted with the blood of demons, becoming Tieflings. Tieflings are in fact, very uncommon in the Southern Kingdoms as non-tainted humans have been known to hunt and kill Tieflings in horrific genocides throughout the ages. Though presently such a genocide is not being perpetrated, tensions are certainly high. Interpretations Humans are often described as "everybody's second best friends". They have good relationships with most other races but hardly ever enough to warrant a close-knit alliance. Pair this with the human tendency to be untrusting of other races, and they are not the most popular race in the land. Humanity, to most other races, represents naivety, greed and lies. As a younger race who seem to have had their niche carved out for them from the very start, they can be very cocky, as well as overambitious and manipulative. Sub Races There are numerous human ethnic groups inhabiting various areas of the Southern Kingdoms. * The Palasians are the most numerous humans - fair skinned, brown haired and moderately sized, the Palasians are found primarily the four kingdoms of the Palasian Empire. They have a varied history, their rulers often showing cruelty in the expansion of their empire. Palasians are often split into several smaller groups due to how numerous they are compared to other humans, often along the language and kingdom lines of the Empire. * The Sinheans are a dark skinned people of the Sinhe archipelago. They were discovered and enslaved by Palasian explorers but have since fought for independence and freedom, and they now have free movement and are given citizenships in Palasia. Many Sinheans do not believe this is enough as they have been disadvantaged for centuries before this freedom. * The modern Redmoorers '''are the relatives of both Sinheans and the natives of Redmoor. In the early years of the Palasian Empire, Sinhean lords who yearned for more land launched an invasion of the mostly disunited lands of Redmoor, hoping to seize control of it. The people of Redmoor were mostly tribal humans, with a weakened Dwarven presence in the northern parts of the region. The Sinheans solidified their control over the area in a two-decade period known as the Long March North. Having conquered Redmoor, the invaders spent the next centuries battling the Palasians, who wanted the land for themselves. Interbreeding between the ancient natives of Redmoor and the Sinheans led to the Redmoorers eventually being distinct from both their Palasian neighbours and Sinhean ancestors * Raven haired and tall, the '''Farlanders are the inhabitants of the Farlander Republic and parts of the eastern Palasian Empire. Having suffered political under-representation and sometimes oppression under the Palasian Empire ever since their coastal homeland was conquered, the Farlanders declared independence and fought a brutal and bloody war for their freedom, ending with the establishment of the Farlander Republic. That being said, many Farlanders still live in the Palasian Empire, and the republic is weak, due to the lack of population away from the coastline. * The Kingdom of Winterbourne is home to two main ethnic groups of humans: the Nurzhan and the Azat.''' '''Traditionally nomadic, both groups have come into conflict with each other over the centuries, however with the rise and expansion of the Palasian Empire and their unification by the steppe warlord Selâhattin, they settled down into a more traditional feudal nation. Numerous other subtypes of human exist, and they are far too common to name and describe them all, above are simply the most prominent in the Southern Kingdoms. It is a safe assumption to believe that most regions of the world do have a native human population. Category:Races